Originally founded in 2415, Ceres Metals Industries is one of the most successful conglomerates in the Inner Sphere. It has invested in widely diverse fields, from personal armaments to the civilian ground vehicles produced by Ceres Motors. They are best known however, as a military armaments manufacturer.[1]

With more than 500 facilities on over one hundred worlds, the massive Ceres Metals Industries was one of the first developers of BattleMech technology and the cornerstone of military hardware manufacture in the Capellan Confederation. Today their flagship design (the Vindicator) has become synonymous with the Capellan Confederation Armed Forces.

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Ceres Metals was originally founded on Terra, with its headquarters in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Originally concerned only with mining raw materials, the company expanded into manufacturing until, by the time the Star League was founded, Ceres Metals was a major producer of JumpShips, DropShips and other hardware. It soon became heavily involved in trade, growing the company immensely and making many worlds dependent upon their JumpShip routes, and directly invested in the creation of new colonies in the Periphery. However, the majority of its industrial power was located within the Terran Hegemony which, during the Amaris Civil War and resulting Succession Wars, was largely destroyed, along with the Terra headquarters.[2][3]

Despite this setback, the company still had hundreds of facilities and operations spread throughout the Inner Sphere. The company moved its main headquarters to Capella, a former regional office established on May 14, 2415. Ceres Metals became the chief dealer of state securities between the Confederation, Free Worlds League and Draconis Combine. With major divisions on Coventry, Dorwinion, Elidor, Kimball, Sarna and Ward, Ceres maintains its neutrality by supplying arms and equipment to any organization which can meet its prices.[3]

When Ceres Metals Industries first constructed their facilities on Warlock, they were able to rely heavily on imports from the Federated Suns. With the reunification of the St. Ives Compact and the Confederation, the facility had to be expanded to produce equipment which could no longer be purchased from the Capellan March.[citation needed]

The Ceres Metals plant on St. Ives has seen several significant changeovers in recent years. First was the conversion of its 'Mech line from producing the Confederation's staple Vindicator to the BJ-3 Blackjack when the St.Ives Commonality broke away from the Confederation as the St Ives Compact. Now following the reunification of St.Ives with the Capellan state, the line has been converted again, this time to produce different variants of the Phoenix Hawk. Finally, continued demand for the BJ-3 design resulted in production of the venerable design being restored for limited runs.[citation needed]

The Warlock plant survived the Jihad, only to be levelled by a terrorist attack in 3080. The terrorists - allegedly Free Capella, according to the Capellan government - used a nuclear weapon to destroy the plant, killing thousands of civilians in the process.[6]

The Ceres Metals plant on Capella benefited after the Jihad from the capture and dismantling in secret of a Martinson Armaments plant on Liberty by Capellan forces. The Martinson plant had been constructed within the old SLDF Marine Corps base on the island of Quentin under the orders of Precentor MartialCameron St. Jamais, and kept a secret even within the ranks of the Word of Blake. Within the factory Martinson manufactured a FrankenMech known as the Eidolon, assembled largely from surplus spare parts originally assembled for the Celestial series of OmniMechs. Having learned of the existence of the factory, Capellan forces launched a deliberate campaign to capture it before allied coalition forces on Liberty learned of its existence, and then managed to disassemble the plant and move it back into Capellan territory. The CCAF troops not only captured critical construction equipment but also full plans for the Eidolon and a not insubstantial quantity of spare parts. Within months of the fall of Terra Ceres Metals had incorporated the captured facilities into their own on Capella and were manufacturing the Yao Lien 'Mech, and by 3085 had established a complete internal supply chain within Capellan space and commenced full production of the 'Mech.[7]

Note: The Capella facility suffered no losses or damage during the Jihad, and had a production volume of 91% in 3079.[9] Ceres Metals would continue to operate at near maximum capacity on Capella, resupplying the CCAF as it rebuilt.[10]

During the Jihad, Ceres Metals ran a small factory that specialized in RetroTech designs on Ward. This factory, though vital for the Confederation's defense during the crisis, was shut down in 3079.[53]

Note: The facility on Warlock, suffers a capital and personnel losses of 39%, and the operating capacity of the factory has a production volume of 79% in 3079.[9] In 3080 the plant was completely destroyed by a nuclear weapon detonated by terrorists.[54]